notes from my food diary

Are you tired of making spaghetti with marinara sauce?  I feel the same from time to time.  My son loves spaghetti so I find a way to make it in a different way.  Try this recipe.  Not only it’s easy for a weekday meal, it’s pretty wholesome too.  Round it up with green salad and maybe garlic bread, you’ll have the same feeling as if you’re eating spaghetti marinara, only baked.  The recipe came from a book that I have for a long time, it’s Vegetarian Pasta by Rose Elliot.  She has recipes which are straightforward but with great flavors.  The original recipe suggested using Cheddar or Gruyére cheese which I chose Gruyére, and I didn’t use a whole cup of cheese in my pasta dish.  It was more like 1/3 of cup but it still tasted very tasty.  It also suggested using fresh oregano in the dish, but since I had this canned diced tomatoes with oregano and basil that’s what I used.  My oregano leaves served as decoration at the end.

I’m sending this for the Presto Pasta Night which is a brainchild of lovely Ruth, hosted by Kevin at Closet Cooking this week.  Hope I’m not too late!

Spaghetti, Mushroom and Tomato Bake

Serves 4

6 ounces spaghetti

Salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, washed and chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with basil and oregano

1 egg, beaten

1 cup Gruyére cheese, grated

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fill a large saucepan with 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat for the pasta.

Set the oven to 400° F.  Grease a casserole dish or roasting pan about 8×12 inches and at least 2 1/2 inches deep.

When the water in the saucepan boils, add the spaghetti, holding it straight up like a bunch of flowers and gently pushing it into the water as it softens.  Add a tablespoon of salt and give the pasta a quick stir.  Briefly put the lid on until it starts to lift, showing that the water has come back to a boil, then let the pasta bubble away, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, or unitl it is tender but still  has some bite to it.  Drain the spaghetti.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and put in the onion; cover and sauté for 5 minutes.  Then add the mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes and cook, uncovered, for further 10 minutes, until the onions and mushrooms are tender.

Add the egg to the vegetable mixture and stir well over the heat for a minute or two until the egg has cooked.  Remove from the heat and add the spaghetti, along with the Gruyére cheese.  Season with oregano and salt and pepper.

Spoon the spaghettti mixture into the ovenproof dish, scatter with the bread crumbs and Parmesan and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on top.

Source:  adapted from Vegetarian Pasta by Rose Elliot

This dish is actually one of my favorites back when I was a wee girl. If my parents and my brother and me went to a Chinese restaurant, I was secretly hoping my parents would order this dish. Why secretly? I don’t have the explanation, I think it’s because I was still a wee girl, I was pretty ignorant of what’s going on with the menu selection. That didn’t mean I didn’t like to eat, though. Now that I’m much older, I’m trying to compensate what I lacked before by making an enormous selection of dishes for my family

I was going to do beef chow fun for Rita’s party, the Chinese Take-Out Party, that’s another favorite, but due to time limit of having to go to a 20 minute-drive to a decent Asian grocery to buy fresh chow fun, I forgo the beef chow fun. Chinese barbecued pork could now be found on my local Safeway, so it’s only a breezy 5-minute drive. Everything else was in my fridge or my pantry, well, except small shrimps. I only had medium-sized shrimps which I chopped into two here. Be sure to use Madras curry powder because the flavor is definitely much more superior (triple superlatives!) to a regular curry powder found in the herb/spice section in your local grocer. I upped the amount of the curry because I liked it stronger, because I felt 2 teaspoons didn’t do much to dish.

So, Rita darlin’, here’s my contribution to your party!

Singapore Rice Noodles
Serves 4 to 6 as part of a multicourse meal

4 Chinese dried mushrooms
8 ounces rice vermicelli (mai fun)
2 tablespoons thin soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice cooking wine
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 ounces medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and halved in two
1/2 cup finely shredded scallions
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 1/4 tablespoons Madras curry powder
3/4 cup homemade chicken broth or water
4 ounces Chinese barbecued pork, cut into juliene strips

In a medium bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1/4 cup cold water for 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain and squeeze dry, reserving soaking liquid. Cut off and discard stems and thinly slice the caps.

In a large bowl, soak the rice noodles in enough cold water to cover for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the noodles are limp and softened. Drain in a colander and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and the shrimp, and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add the scallions and stir-fry 30 seconds, or until shrimp have just turned orange but are not cooked through. Transfer the shrimp mixture to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, celery, and sliced mushrooms, and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the curry powder and stir-fry 10 seconds, or until fragrant. Restir soy sauce mixture and swirl it into the wok. Add the chicken broth or water, reserved mushroom soaking liquid and 1/3 cup cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the drained rice noodles and return to a boil, stirring noodles to completely coat in curry mixture. Cover and cook over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until noodles are just tender. Add the shrimp and barbecued pork, and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes, or until shrimp are just cooked through and liquid has been absorbed by the noodles. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young.

Party on!

My son loves pasta and I usually make him a lunch box to eat at his school. I’ve constantly trying to vary his pasta salad choices and have always looked for new recipes. This recipe came from The Penny Whistle Lunch Box Book. An old book that was written by Meredith Brokaw, Tom Brokaw’s wife. My son liked it and it was very easy to make. You could vary the type of pasta and cold lunchmeat for the dish.

Because this is a pasta dish, I submitted this entry for the Presto Pasta Night again! PPN is a very fun event if you cook pasta regularly, check it out at Ruth’s blog.

Adaptation of Alice Water’s Pasta Salad
Yields 4 to 6 servings

4 cups red cherry tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil leaves, minced
1 large bunch parsley, minced
Salt and pepper
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cups fresh bread crumbs
8 ounces dried pasta, any shapes
8 ounces cooked cold lunchmeat, diced—I used beef salami

Cut the tomatoes in half. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes with basil and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Combine the garlic and the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and saute until golden brown. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain and turn into a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, bread crumbs and cold lunchmeat. Toss well. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

You can prepare this recipe and serve it hot for dinner or at room temperature, reserving any that is left over in a plastic container in the refrigerator. The next morning, just put the container in your child’s lunch box to provide a cold luncheon salad.

Just a quick and hearty dinner meal for our family. Just for fun, this post is for Presto Pasta Night hosted by Ruth over at Once Upon A Feast.

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss
Makes 6 servings

2 cups radiatore or other pasta shapes (7 oz.), uncooked
1/2 lb hot or mild Italian sausage, casing removed
1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, oregano, undrained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsps grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, crumble meat into large deep skillet. Cook on medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally; drain.

Add spinach and undrained tomatoes; cook 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

Drain pasta; place in a large serving bowl. Add meat mixture and cheeses; mix lightly.

Source: adapted from Kraft Foods

I’m surprised by the simplicity and taste of this dish. Its taste reminds of Laksa. A lot has been taken away and nothing is original anymore but it is still tasty and satsifying. I don’t have much to say

Coconut Shrimp, Scallops, and Fish Soup
Serves 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
4 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces angel hair pasta
1 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails remove
6-8 bay scallops
4 ounces white fish fillet
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
coarse salt
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to boil.

Break past in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add shrimp, scallops, and fish; stir until opaque about 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions.

Source: adapted from Everyday Food, November 2005.

P.S. Last minute addition as I just found out that I could submit this post for Presto Pasta Nights over at Ruth’s blog: Once Upon A Feast. It’s always fun when I don’t have to think to be able to participate in food blog event

tags: DMBLGIT